Fabrics of time
by angel of the silver feather
Summary: I was alone, now, in a world swallowed by chaos and death. And I had no way to escape, short of suicide. At least that was what I had believed until the prospect of time travel became more than an abstract fantasy.
1. Prologue

Title: Fabrics of time

Disclaimer: Well, I do own a PC. That's about it.

Rating: T

Warning: Angst. Character death(s). Language.

* * *

Prologue

The fire burned hot and slow. I didn't know if that was good or bad. On one hand, it would destroy what was once a home to me thoroughly and completely, just like I wanted. On the other, I would have to watch it all burn for longer-watch this strange former home that held an array of memories be reduced to nothing.

I didn't mind, though. Not really. Even though it was hard to stand amidst the smoldering Ame base, I knew that destroying it was the right thing to do. It's what Pein and Konan would have wanted. After all, this wasn't their village anymore. Amegakure was now a twisted version of the village those two had loved with all they had. The shinobi loyal to their 'God' and his angel had all been killed. The hidden village of Rain was now crawling with the scum that Madara and Orochimaru had gathered for the Fourth Great Shinobi War. It was just another ruined village now, like Konoha, Suna and many others.

It was hours before the fire died down-my genjutsu had concealed it from others-, leaving behind only ash. It was not exactly an ordinary fire. It was no Amaterasu, but my very own chakra-infused fire. It consumed all.

I glanced at the objects I held in my arms. One was my journal, which functioned as a diary cum album, that held accounts of a time that was so much better, so much _happier_. The other was a scroll, the only thing I had saved from the now destroyed library in the base.

I clutched them closer to me. One held my memories while the other held my final hope. With one last look at the wrecked remains of the base, I turned and walked away, determined never to set foot in Amegakure ever again. Not in this life, anyway.

* * *

"I was waiting for you to show up." I told the masked man. Why did he still wear the mask if his identity was a secret no longer? "Uchiha Obito."

"Sakura." He said in a deep voice that held no resemblance to the high pitched one he had used before.

We stood in silence for a while. I stared at our reflections on the still water of the lake. Neither of us was clad in Akatsuki cloaks any more. Him, probably because he no longer needed them to fulfill his goals. Me? Because to me, the people had always mattered more than the organization itself. And they were all gone.

"You know, I expected you to try and attack me." He said after a while.

"And I expected you to try to kill me. I guess we were both wrong." When had my voice become like that? So _dead_. Was it when _he_ died? Or was it when the last two people that I had cared for were gone?

"Why would I kill you, Blossom?" Obito asked me in a friendly voice. I couldn't even summon any of my infamous temper at the tone. I guess it wasn't just my voice that was dead.

"You killed Konan." My voice held no accusation, or even resignation. It was just flat; empty.

"Ah, but that was an entirely different matter. You I have no reason to kill."

Good. I had no intention of dying just yet. I had some hope left.

"Then why are you here, Obito?" Our reflections wavered as a single raindrop fell on the lake surface. Soon enough, it was pouring. Neither of us reacted to the downpour.

"You left quite a mess on your way out of Ame, blossom. Madara is not pleased."

"Madara can go fuck himself."

He chuckled good-naturedly. My lips compressed into a thin line at the sound. Perhaps, I was not a lost cause after all.

Well, what now, Sakura?"

I shrugged. I had no intention of revealing that. Not to him. Not to anyone.

"What indeed." I breathed out, closing my eyes. I did not need sight to defend myself.

Still, I stiffened when a large hand was placed on my shoulder.

"It was nice to have known you, Sakura-chan." He told me and he sounded sincere. Not that it mattered. And that suffix sounded coming from this version of 'Tobi'.

"I liked the person you pretended to be."

"I know." Was all he said.

"Farewell, Sakura Uchiha."

* * *

I stood there, staring at my own reflection for hours after he left. I had a lot to think about. A lot to decide and plan.

I had completed the jutsu; perfected it. All I had to do now was use it. And that was the current subject of my contemplation.

I really had no reason to stay. There was nobody left for me here. Konoha 11 was no more. Kiba and Shino were the first to go, the first of my generation to have their names carved ito the memorial stone. Hinata had survived long enough to drag herself to Konoha. She had died in Naruto's arms, smiling until the very end. The newly instated Sedaime Hokage, had lost that light in his eyes that day; the light that not even Sasuke's death could destroy. The Ino-Shika-Cho had died in the battle against Stone that Madara had somehow brought about. The same pointless war had claimed TenTen. Neji and Lee had survived till the Fourth Shinobi war, only to perish soon after. As for herself, she had not returned permanently to Konoha even after Naruto became the Hokage. She had loved Itachi and the Akatsuki too much to leave them. She'd kept in touch. She had mourned them all. And she had almost lost it when Naruto died. It was a noble death. He had died protecting the village against the combined powers of Madara and Orochimaru. But even the kyubi was no match against a sannin and a legendary shinobi. Their jounin senseis- even Kakashi- had perished in the war.

Sasuke had died that day at the Kage summit. He'd tried to kill Danzou, but the combined power of the 5 Kages had been too much for him. Tsunade and Shizune had died in the coup itself, both killed in their sleep by Root members.

Like Naruto, Gaara had died for his village. His siblings had followed soon after.

As for the Akatsuki, they had all been killed; pawns in the hands of the resurrected Madara and Obito.

Itachi...had been killed by his beloved baby brother. He had been _ready_ to live. Ready to tell Sasuke the truth. I had even found a cure for his illness. The fool hadn't even given him a _chance_. And since Itachi had refused to let me heal him completely until h had sorted things out with Sasuke, he had been far too weak to even properly fight back.

I had not even had a chance to properly say goodbye.

I was alone, now, in a world swallowed by chaos and death. And I had no way to escape, short of suicide.

Atleast that was what I had believed until I had found the incomplete scroll in the Akatsuki library. It had revealed a possibility that I had not even considered. True, there was nothing I could change now, but there were several things I could change had I known about them in advance. And the prospect of time travel was no longer an abstract fantasy.

I had completed the jutsu. It was now time to use it.

I didn't care if it would take me to an alternate dimension or if it would rearrange the webs of time in this reality. I didn't even care about the repercussions. I was desperate.

* * *

I once again went through the hand signs required for the technique. They were relatively simple. Then again the complexity of this justu lay in the mental aspects. My concentration had to be perfect; my will like iron.

But I would not fail.

I flipped through the pages of the leather bound journal. It was thick and worn-the account of 12 years of my life. My eyes fell upon the page I wanted. I stared at it long and hard.

It was the picture of my wedding. He had been beautiful...perfect.

I couldn't lose this. So naturally, I made sure that I would not. The preservation jutsu took very little chakra, so it would not affect the time travel technique.

With the scroll laid open before me, I envisioned a beautiful sunny day of a long time ago as I flew through the necessary handseals.

* * *

Author's rant: Ah, my first Naruto fanfic! I love this fandom, seriously. Please review, guys. By the way, from next chapter onwards, I will add a diary entry from the journal at the beginning and a flashback at the end. They'll help clear any confusion about Sakura's past-future. Okay, that sounded weird. I apologize in advance for any errors. And updates will be slow cuz I study at a boarding school with no internet connection. Sad, I know.

One-liner jokes:I hate when I am about to hug someone really sexy and my face hits the mirror.


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Fabrics of time

Disclaimer: Well, I do own a PC. That's about it.

Rating: T

Warning: A different Sakura.

Author's Thanks: 9 Reviews, 11 Favorites and 12 Followers. I'm honored.

Thanks to BiancaWrites, BehindThisFacade15, LeonaMasha, alice Orihara Scarlet, Jacqueline, angel897,

wowed reader and Chen Melin for their lovely reviews.

* * *

Chapter One

THE OLD AND THE NEW

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I have always wanted to start a journal, but I guess I have never really had the motivation to. I wish I still didn't._

_Shishou is dead. Killed in her sleep by ROOT agents. Danzou and his damn agents would never have faced her on a battlefield. And, Shizune's gone too. She would be happier following her mentor anyways._

_I don't have much time. I'm leaving tonight_.

* * *

I ended up in a heap on my old bedroom floor, exhausted and disorientated. Not exactly a great start. But my journal had survived. Pity my clothes didn't. I was stark naked and it was glaringly obvious that my body had... changed.

I slowly stood up and stumbled to my bed, collapsing on it. Then, I caught my reflection in the vanity and _stared_. I _knew_ that the jutsu had worked. In my mind, I did. But it was another thing entirely to see my twelve year old face staring back at me. It wasn't the face that I was used to and that was when it really _hit_ really hit me that I had done it! I was back.

I fingered my waist length pink hair wonderingly. My head felt strangely light. Back in mu own time, I had grown out my hair until it fell nearly to my ankles. I missed the familiar weight, but all of it just drove home the fact that I really was back in time.

And now, I could prevent the horrible fate that had befallen us. I _would_ change our future. I would _not_ let my friends and family die.

So just like that, that horrible emptiness that had plagued me ever since Itachi died lifted. For the first time in six years, I smiled.

* * *

My journal was hidden away under a loose floorboard and sealed with a blood-seal for good measure. If that fell into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous.

I raided my wardrobe for clothes. The dress I used to wear when I was this age was not even an option. I loved red color, I really did. It reminded me of a lot of things I loved. But I couldn't even bear the thought of wearing the color. It felt too bright, too _cheerful_ for me. I finally found something acceptable in my atrocious wardrobe. It was a dress of the same style that I had worn originally, only it was black in color and what used to be white linings was now a deep red. My hair was now pulled back in a tight braid to keep it out of my way, save for my bangs. I would probably raise a few eyebrows with this new look, but I was past caring.

So, what if I looked like a different person now? I _was_ a different person. That frivolous Haruno Sakura whose entire life had revolved around a would-be-traitor had died a long time ago. This Sakura was a lot more jaded. _And_ she was a desperate woman on a mission.

* * *

It was amazing to be able to truly feel again. I did not know(or care) if it was my renewed hope or the residual personality of my real 12 year old self that removed that suffocating emptiness, but either way, I was glad for it.

I drank in the sights of Konoha as I made my way to the Academy. If the jutsu had worked the way I wanted it to- and I was pretty sure it had- then this was the day the genin teams were assigned.

I was about thirty in my old life, though my medical ninjutsu had ensured that I looked a lot younger, so I did not remember all the trivial details about this day though the important ones were still crystal clear to me.

Chancing upon Ino on the way had been one of them.

"Ino." I called out before I could stop myself. She tuned to face me with an annoyed glare. Whatever self control I had possessed crumbled at the sight of my best friend _who had been a marred corpse the last time I saw her._

I barreled into her, hugging her tightly around the waist and burying my face in her shoulder. I think she returned the embrace automatically than with any real affection. Or maybe said affection was buried under layers of bitter rivalry.

" .Hell, Sakura?"

I tensed up. I hadn't thought of how I was going to explain my sudden change of heart of her. I couldn't possible tell her that I was just so damn glad to see her alive again! It was a good thing that I had always been a quick thinker. And my skills at deception had grown considerably during my years with the Akatsuki, after my defection from Danzou's Konoha.

"I'm sorry, Ino." _I truly am sorry. For not saving you. For not being there for you. _Once again, I couldn't tell her my true thoughts, so I clarified.

"I never should have let a boy ruin our relationship. Please, forgive me." _Forgive me for abandoning you. Forgive me for not returning to you. I can't really regret my decisions, but still, forgive me._

"Sakura..." Ino began, apparently at a loss for words. "Why...What brought this on?"

I was practically clinging to her as my mind worked fast to dish out a believable reason.

"I just don't want to lose you" Not again. "We are real ninjas now, we could die at any time." If only she had realized this sooner in her previous life. "You are my best friend. I love you. I can't lose you over a boy. You can have Sasuke, I don't want him. Please, just forgive me. Please.'' I was apologizing for so many things; things this Ino had not and would not, if I had any say in it, experience.

Ino, despite her vanity and frivolity, was a good person. And I knew she could hear the truth of my words. So, her reaction was almost a given.

"Of course, I forgive you, Sakura. You have some serious making up to do, but we'll come to that later. Now-" She gently pulled back and looked at me. "- you had better not start crying or anything." She said, despite the fact that her own eyes were suspiciously bright.

I shook my head and smiled a bit bitterly. Cry... I wouldn't- couldn't- cry. I had lost that ability years ago. There were certain things that no amount of tears could help you with.

"Shall we head to the Academy, then?" I asked her, stepping away from her but still holding to her hand.

I kept a death grip on her hand the entire way, and to my surprise and pleasure, she returned it.

* * *

I stopped dead the moment I set foot inside the classroom. They were all _here_. They were all _alive_. Logically, I had known this when I ran into Ino, but it was another thing entirely to see the faces of the Rookie 9 amongst the students, young and whole. Ino, however didn't notice my strange behavior as she was busy ogling Sasuke. I made my way to a free seat beside Naruto and sat down, carefully avoiding looking at him until I was seated. Then, preparing myself, I raised my eyes to meet painfully familiar azure ones. My breath caught in my throat as he gave me a wide, joyous grin.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto." God, I had missed him and I couldn't help some of my emotion from seeping into my voice.

Naruto blushed a deep red and only then did I remember the fact that he used to have a crush on me.

I smiled warmly at him and turned face Iruka, who had only now entered the classroom. I didn't even spare a glance at my _other_ teammate. I could exert some control over my immeasurable pleasure at seeing eight of the Rookie nine, but I nearly no conscious control over my negative emotions. They tended to bring out another side of me that no one wanted to see. I couldn't face Sasuke when I was this raw. The venomous rage I had towards Sasuke drowned out even the sisterly love I felt for him. I needed some time before I could mentally and emotionally ready myself for him.

I was too immersed in my thoughts to pay even n iota of attention to Iruka's speech. I focused only when he announced my team.

"Next, the Seventh Team. Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura- " Naruto jumped up and yelled delightfully, which made me smile. "- and Uchiha Sasuke." My smile became a grimace and my fingers clenched. Obliviouus, Naruto turned to me.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you look different. You clothes and your hair... And you didn't look at Sasuke-teme even once today..." He trailed off and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

I just shrugged lightly and said, "I've decided that it's time for a change. As for Sasuke, I got over him. He isn't worth it." I didn't know what I was thinking _before_. Then, I added "Hey, do you like the changes, Naruto?"

Again, he blushed and stammered out a 'Yes'. Atleast, it kept him from voicing that ridiculous question about why he and Sasuke were on the same team. I smiled.

* * *

Flashback:

_Life as a missing nin was not pleasant, but it was something she could get used to. It was a much better option than the alternative, which was to be the one-eyed freak's medic on a leash for the rest of her life. With both Tsunade and Shizune gone, she was the top medic of Konoha-and maybe in the country- and Danzou was desperate to have her. She'd die before she returned. Were they still in the Fire Country or had they escaped to the Wind Country like her?_

_ Besides, she was managing just fine. She knew that the rest of Konoha 11, except for the clan heirs and Neji, and their senses had fled Konoha as well. But as she didn't know where any of them were, she had no way at all to contact them._

_ She had paid a brief visit to Gaara and his siblings (Kankuro seemed to worship her ever since she saved him from Sasori's poison) to inform them of her presence, but she had not lingered. She couldn't._

_ At least there was the beautiful, exhilarating freedom. She had no one to answer to, no one to judge her. She was now truly her own master and that was a wonderful freedom. It was something she could become addicted to. And that helped her hold on tightly to life. She would survive until she could walk into Konoha a free woman._

* * *

A/N: Pointers:

*Only Sasori is dead from the Akatsuki. The rest are still alive.

*The coup occurred soon after Gaara rescue mission

*Sakura is much stronger now as she has retained all of her original powers.

**_ 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.' _**


End file.
